A hiker died Monday after falling an estimated 500 feet from a summit ridge in the Sequoia National Park.
The 56-year-old San Jose man, whose name was not released by authorities, was reportedly accompanied by two other hikers when he lost his balance, authorities for the National Park Service said.
One of the hikers, a 45-year-old Milpitas woman, had tried to grab the San Jose man. She also fell 30 feet but has survived the fall, officials said.
A third person in the group used a satellite beacon to declare an emergency before calling park authorities using his mobile phone.
A rescue team, who had been responding to an unconscious hike in the area, was immediately sent out via helicopter and successfully rescued the injured woman who was able to self-arrest on a ledge. She was rushed to Northern Inyo Hospital in Bishop.
The Milpitas hiker was later transferred to a hospital in Nevada where she underwent surgery. Authorities did not share how severe her injuries were.
